The present invention relates to a device for supporting, and retaining, a shelf in a cabinet. (As used herein, the word "cabinet" is intended to include any structure that supports shelves--e.g., kitchen cabinets, bookcases, etc.)
The shipping of cabinets having internal shelves has historically presented a problem. Thus, with shelf supports that did not also positively retain the shelf in place, the jostling that the cabinets receive during shipment could cause the shelf to bounce around within the cabinet with consequent damage both to the cabinet structure and to the shelf. It has been proposed to provide a combination support and anchor (e.g., MacDonald, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,471,111; MacDonald et al, 3,471,112; Dowell, 1,918,457) in order to prevent movement of the shelves within the cabinet. Typically, such devices have involved essentially one-way mechanisms (e.g., see MacDonald and MacDonald et al) that permit installation of the shelf, but that retain the shelf at the expense of convenient removal. Such removal is often desirable at the destination of the cabinet being shipped, since the purchaser may want a different spacing between shelves than that chosen by the manufacturer prior to shipping. With such one-way devices, of course, shelf removal (necessary to permit removal and reinstallation of the shelf support devices) is difficult.